I have arthritis and/or ligamentous injuries in the majority of joints in my body; from my spine, to my shoulders, elbows, and hands, to my hips and knees, right on down to my ankles and toes. Fortunately, I am a physical therapist with years of treating others under my belt. Between that and my contact with other therapists, I usually have a good idea what my injury is and how to best treat it. Do I tell you this to garner your sympathy? No, but feel free to pray for me (lol)! The reason I start the blog this way is to introduce one example of God’s faithfulness in my life.
We all know, whether we want to admit it or not, that pain is often the most effective way in which we learn lessons in life. This begins at childhood, with our parents’ discipline, and continues throughout our lives as we receive correction from God as well as the earthly authorities He has established; and this is just how it should be, according to the Bible.
Hebrews 12:7-11 “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
In fact, even the sinless God-man, Jesus Christ, experienced suffering for the sake of learning.
Hebrews 5:8 “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.”
This may seem like complete foolishness to you and you may be asking- How does pain and suffering teach us? How is it a show of love and faithfulness from the one who imparts it? How is this a good thing?
The Bible often compares people to sheep- defenseless animals who are unable to keep themselves clean, find good water to drink, proper food to eat, or their way home without help. Like a faithful shepherd, our Great Shepherd always cares for us and brings us back to Himself when we stray.
Ezekiel 34:12, 15-16 “As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.”
So, what does this have to do with my physical maladies? Well, it is often through them that the Great Shepherd leads me back to Himself when I have strayed. The Lord know us intimately, even better than we know ourselves.
Psalm 139:1-4 “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”
He, therefore, knows exactly what it will take in our lives to get us to stop, listen, and stay listening. Whenever I stop listening or, on the other hand, start praying intently for insight or freedom, He speaks to me through pulpit lessons, Bible reading, conversations with Him and others, and, yes, even suffering.
Today, as I begin to write this blog, I am home from work with back pain. I have 2 herniated discs and “something” aggravated them last week to the point that I am unable to work or do much driving. I cannot recall a specific physical incident to attribute this to, but I can say that He has been speaking to me very specifically lately about how I spend my time and what I allow to occupy my mind. So, He has faithfully blessed me with time- time to pore over the Word, spend more time in prayer, and focus on keeping my mind on Him. You read that correctly, by the way, I referred to this time of pain as a faithful blessing. It is an answer to prayer, you see, as I have been pleading with Him to draw me closer, to help me discipline my thoughts, and to make the most of my time.
God is so faithful to us. He answers prayer, He watches over and protects us, and He does whatever is necessary to keep us on the righteous path. Much of the time, pain is what is needed. So, we must learn to embrace the pain in our lives, as it is this pain that draws us nearer to the Lord.
Job 5:17 “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.”
He demands your whole heart, your entire life, your unwavering loyalty and devotion, and He deserves nothing less. He will act to ensure that you keep your life centered around Him and will do whatever is necessary to keep you from stumbling, living a life of joy and peace in Him. What a faithful God we serve.
Jude 24-25 “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
Love in Christ,
Monica Ledford